Thanks to Richard Perry, we have a photo which Mr. Rice of Potomac has identified as "Ancil Beck's
Blacksmith Shop" in Jamesburg. It was in the photgraph book of Violetta Johnston's daughter, Nellie Gertrude Allison who married Walter Perry.
Does anyone know of any history of this blacksmith shop? It had a fake straight front, with a slanting roof to the right. On the front is a huge white circle (like the moon) with a horse reared on it's hind legs facing left. The big entrace door was below the horse, it appears the office door is to the left of it, with a large window.
Next to his photo is the photo of a small house, with door to the right, perhaps facing east, a single window to the left, with window directly above it on the second floor. There is a tree growing to the left of the house, which appears to be on the south side of the house, judging by the shadow it casts on the roof. It is not inhabited - the photo is taken early 1900's.
On the next page is where a photo of my great-grandparents used to be "Mr and Mrs
Johnston". We are hoping that there is a connection somehow to this blacksmith shop - perhaps Mr. Johnston owned it before Mr. Beck? Perhaps the house is the
Johnston house?
We did find, in the late 1890's a Will
Wycoff who ran a blacksmith shop in
Danville, on Vermilion Street - does anyone know about him? My Violetta's mother's maiden name was
Wycoff and we're having fits finding them! Was this his blacksmith shop before Mr. Beck?
Any help with the history of this blacksmith shop would be appreciated, or leads on
Johnston or
Wycoff!
Susan Allison
Willmott Allisongen@aol.com